The present invention relates to an objective, in particular for a projection apparatus used in microlithography, with a plurality of lenses including at least one fluoride crystal lens.
Projection objectives of this kind are known from U.S. Pat. No. 6,201,634, which discloses the concept of aligning the lens axes orthogonally to the {111} planes of the fluoride crystals in order to minimize stress-induced birefringence. The aforementioned U.S. Patent is based on the assumption that fluoride crystals have no intrinsic birefringence.
However, as described in the Internet publication “Preliminary Determination of an Intrinsic Birefringence in CaF2” by John H. Burnett, Eric L. Shirley, and Zachary H. Levine of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Gaithersburg, Md. (posted on May 7, 2001), single crystal ingots of calcium fluoride also exhibit birefringence that is not stress-induced, i.e., intrinsic birefringence. According to the measurements presented in that study, a light ray traveling in the <110> direction of a calcium fluoride crystal is subject to a birefringence that amounts to 6.5±0.4 nm/cm at a wavelength of λ=156.1 nm, to 3.6±0.2 nm/cm at a wavelength of λ=193.09 nm, and to 1.2±0.1 nm/cm at a wavelength of λ=253.65 nm. On the other hand, if the light propagation is oriented in the <100> direction or in the <111> direction of the crystal, no intrinsic birefringence occurs in calcium fluoride, as is also predicted by theory. Thus, the intrinsic birefringence has a strong directional dependence and increases significantly for shorter wavelengths.
The indices for the crystallographic directions will hereinafter be bracketed between the symbols “<” and “>”, and the indices for the crystallographic planes will be bracketed between the symbols “{” and “}”. The crystallographic directions are perpendicular to the correspondingly indexed crystallographic planes. For example, the crystallographic direction <100> is perpendicular to the crystallographic plane {100}. Crystals with a cubic lattice structure, which includes the fluoride crystals that are of interest in the present context, have the principal crystallographic directions <110>, < 110>, <1 10>, < 110>, <101>, <10 1>, < 101>, < 10 1>, <011>, <0 11>, <01 1>, <0 11>, <111>, < 111>, < 111>, < 11 1>, <1 11>, < 111>, <1 11>, <11 1>, <100>, <010>, <001>, < 100>, <0 10>, and <00 1>. Because of the symmetries of cubic crystals, the principal crystallographic directions <100>, <010>, <001>, < 100>, <0 10>, and <00 1> are equivalent to each other. Therefore, those crystallographic directions that are oriented along one of the principal directions <100>, <010>, <001>, < 100>, <0 10>, and <00 1> will hereinafter be identified by the prefix “(100)-”, and crystallographic planes that are perpendicular to these directions will also be identified by the same prefix “(100)-”. Furthermore, the principal directions <110>, < 110>, <1 10>, < 110>, <101>, <10 1>, < 101>, < 10 1>, <011>, <0 11>, <01 1>, and <0 11> are likewise equivalent to each other. Therefore, those crystallographic directions that are oriented along one of the latter group of principal directions will hereinafter be identified by the prefix “(110)-”, and crystallographic planes that are perpendicular to these directions will also be identified by the same prefix “(110)-”. Finally, the principal directions <111>, < 111>, < 111>, < 11 1>, <1 11>, < 111>, <1 11>, <11 1> are also equivalent to each other. Therefore, those crystallographic directions that are oriented along one of the latter group of principal directions will hereinafter be identified by the prefix “(111)-”, and crystallographic planes that are perpendicular to these directions will also be identified by the same prefix “(111)-”. Any statements made hereinafter in regard to one of the aforementioned principal crystallographic directions should be understood to be equally applicable to the equivalent principal crystallographic directions.
Objectives and projection systems for use in microlithography are known for example from the patent application PCT/EP 00/13148 (WO 150171 A1), which has the same assignee as the present application, and from the references cited in that earlier application. The embodiments discussed in PCT/EP 00/13148 illustrate suitable projection objectives of purely refractive as well as catadioptric types with numerical apertures of 0.8 and 0.9 at operating wavelengths of 193 nm as well as 157 nm.
The concept of rotating the orientation of lens elements in order to compensate for the effects of birefringence is also described in the patent application DE 101 23 725.1, “Projektionsbelichtungsanlage der Mikrolithographie, Optisches System und Herstellverfahren” (Projection Apparatus for Microlithography, Optical System and Manufacturing Method), which has the same assignee as the present invention, is identified by assignee's file reference 01055P and was filed on May 15, 2001. The content of DE 101 23 725.1 is hereby incorporated by reference in the present application.